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Action plan under way to eliminate child labour, says Umar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Labour, Manpower and Local Government Umar Asghar Khan, has said that the government is committed to eliminate child labour from the country and a national action plan is underway which will be implemented with full force and commitment to eradicate the child labour from the country.

In an exclusive interview the minister observed that the government is making an action plan to eradicate the curse of Child labour from the country and suggestions have been demanded from the experts and people working in the field of elimination of child labour.

Umar Asghar said that the final plan would be executed after complete analysis of the suggestions and discussion at different levels. This is difficult task because it is the collective behaviour of the society that we force our children for hard labour, he added.

Since the elimination of child labour is a difficult task that is why the government would welcome any suggestions from the political parties as well, said the minister adding that an overhauling of social attitude and revolutionary changes in the education system are instrumental beside the poverty elevation from the country.

Non-availability of education and increasing unemployment are the main factor of child labour in Pakistan and the government is focussing on these issues, minister added.

"The government's efforts have succeeded in eliminating 90 percent child labour from soccer industry of Sialkot while we are trying to reduce its quantum from the surgical industry on experiment basis", said Umar Asghar.

The government is also in contact with the carpet industry for this purpose, he added.

Answering a query, the federal minister observed that the strong legal instrument is imperative for the stern action against the child labour, no doubt some laws are existing but implementation on them was always a problem, he added.

"We would have to change attitude and aptitudes of people are looking for the methodology under which government departments could have been able to implement the legal instrument and regulatory laws," said the minister.

The government is also concerned with the problem of Rat children. Responding to a question he said, "we are ready to support Edhi Welfare Center in this regard".

The minister said that if the Rat children could be rehabilitated through a center either in Gujrat or somewhere else this would be great service for the society.

Umar Asghar invited the Edhi Center for talks on this issue and offered to extend every possible cooperation to eliminate this chronic problem of the society. PPI